1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device which can image a plurality of viewpoint images by a plurality of image pickup devices, and more particularly, to a technique for picking up a telephoto image and a wide-angle image of the same subject by the plurality of image pickup devices of the imaging device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A camera described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-207774 includes two image-taking systems which are independent from each other and generally the same, and each of which includes an imaging optical system and an imaging element. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-207774 discloses that the imaging optical system includes an imaging lens, a focus lens, an aperture and the like, screens corresponding to two independent imaging systems are displayed on a display so as to be apposed, and a wide-image from the other imaging system is displayed on the display so as to be superimposed on a tele-image from one imaging system.
A camera apparatus of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-238326 obtains information on an image-taking range of a telecamera unit in an image-taking field of view of a wide-angle camera unit at a time point when a telephoto image is taken, and also decides a wide-angle image to be associated with the telephoto image, by a device which determines a wide-angle image which is more accurate for displaying the image-taking range, and transmits the taken telephoto image along with the image-taking range information and information specifying the wide-angle image. In an apparatus which reproduces taken video at a location distant from the camera apparatus, reproduction of telephoto video is synchronized with reproduction of wide-angle video so that a telephoto image-taking range can be indicated on a display of the wide-angle image specified by each telephoto image.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-212804 is an example of composition assist.
When a plurality of imaging optical systems of an imaging device which takes a parallax image for stereoscopic display are set on telephoto and wide-angle sides, respectively, and images of the same subject are simultaneously taken, a wide-angle (wide) image in which a principal subject is located at the center (FIG. 21A), and a telephoto (tele) image in which the principal subject is zoomed up (FIG. 21B) are obtained.
The image in which the principal subject is located at the center as illustrated in FIG. 21A is commonly referred to as “rising sun flag composition”, and is regarded as a typical monotonously-finished image. Consequently, as illustrated in FIGS. 22A and 22B, it is desired to obtain a wide-angle image in which the principal subject is shifted from the center (FIG. 22A) and a zoomed image of the principal subject (FIG. 22B).
However, in a camera which takes the parallax image for the stereoscopic display, since respective optical axes of the plurality of imaging optical systems need to be aligned, it is difficult to take the wide-image in which the principal subject is shifted from the center, and also take the tele-image in which the principal subject is enlarged, at the same time.